Don’t forget, there is work to be done before “onboarding” your new employee

Don’t forget, there is work to be done before “onboarding” your new employee

More and more companies are recognising the importance of “onboarding” – the process of inducting new starters into an organisation and ensuring they settle in well with their new employer and that they acquire the necessary skills, knowledge and behaviours to become highly effective members of the team. However, companies should also remember that there is an important role to play during the period between an individual resigning from his/her current role and starting with a new company.

CFR UK was recently approached by a new client who had just recruited a Senior Sales Manager by using their own resources. The day before she was due to start, the individual e-mailed the client to advise she would not be joining as she had decided to live abroad. The client had tried to maintain regular contact with her prior to the start date and perhaps with this individual, there was nothing which could have been done to bring about a different outcome. Nevertheless, it did confirm the importance of doing everything possible to make a new employee feel part of their new organisation even before they have joined the business.

A recent project we managed, to recruit a Senior Legal Counsel, provides an excellent example of best practice in this regard. The Line Manager did all he could to ‘go the extra mile’ to ensure that the preboarding process went seamlessly. After making himself available to directly answer some questions from the new starter concerning her employment package, he continued to keep in regular dialogue with her as well as meeting up with her when she came to check out schools and accommodation for her family. Whilst the individual was serving her notice period, our client arranged for her to accompany him on a trip to the company’s Japanese headquarters which was an excellent opportunity for the new recruit to meet members of the international team, with whom she would interact on a regular basis.

A series of meetings whilst in Japan also gave her a great insight into the work she would be undertaking as well as the issues she would be facing. Additional recruitment activity into the Legal Team was also ongoing and the Senior Legal Counsel was invited to participate in the recruitment process by reviewing CVs and assisting with final interviews of the prospective candidates.

Obviously, not all companies’ circumstances will allow for this level of involvement with their new recruits and this will of course also depend upon the availability and workload of the individual in order to allocate this amount of time. However, in this instance, it certainly helped to create a close bond between company and employee, who will join the organisation already feeling a close affinity with her team and her Line Manager.